A Well Dressed Kitchen

Our Story & Who We Are

"A Well Dressed Kitchen" is a family business located on the edge of the snowbelt just south of Buffalo, New York, where summers are short and treasured and winters are, well, white!

Though we've been in business since 1986 (read about the early years), our online store opened in April 2001. We found that there is a real demand for quality hand-made fabric home decorating accessories, and an even greater interest in well-made custom sewn items. Although we've been growing, and offering a greater range of "ready-made" items, we are still able to do what the "big guys" can't: custom sewing.

All of our items are handmade here in Western New York. It has been our policy from the first that we will not sell any imported items, as we feel that it is important to "buy American" and help our neighbors earn their daily bread. (Read more about why we think this is important!)

As the business grew - and it grew quickly! - I found that even with lots of help and support from my husband, Craig (who handles the bookkeeping and technical support issues), I was unable to keep up with all the orders. Along came Ginny, Wanda, and Bernice, three home-sewers to help with the work. Beth, a former librarian, brings organization to our operation, answering the phone, taking orders and shipping. Next came Jill, Rena, Barb, and Debbie, and more recently Valerie, Kathy, another Beth, another Barb, and another Jill! In January 2006 we made the move to our first offical "office space", having overflowed the attic of our 1897 house. Our new "shop" is only a mile down the road, and right on the children's bike route to school, the library, church, and 7-Eleven. It has proven to be the best compromise between a growing business and still being available to raise the kids. (Meet the staff!)

We now operate two websites, www.awelldressedkitchen.com (our original site) and www.favoritefabrics.com, a spin-off site dedicated exclusively to fabric sales. We plan on continuing to enhance our websites, making them easier to use and more informative, and will add new items as our creativity leads us.

- Nancy